Government builds new anti-slavery digital system

Mark Say
Managing Editor

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The Government is building a new digital system to support the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) to protect victims of modern slavery.

Home Office minister Victoria Atkins referred to the plan in a parliamentary written answer to Plaid Cymru MP Liz Saville Roberts last week.

She said that the digital referral form has already been launched for closed beta testing with a group of first responders and is due to go live at the end of the summer.

The new system is being developed to make it easier for frontline responders to refer victims for support.

The NRM, introduced in 2009, provides the overall framework for the effort. It involves a range of first responders – such as police, local authorities and some non-governmental organisations – referring potential victims for their case to be managed by either the National Crime Agency or the Home Office.

Improve efforts

“Our reforms to introduce a new digital referral process will improve our ability to identify re-trafficking, as it will increase our knowledge of victims of modern slavery and enable us to capture and analyse data to better aid prevention and law enforcement activity,” Atkins said.

The Government announced plans to reform the NRM in October 2017, with the aims including improved identification of victims and quicker and more certain decision-making.